Wayne Grandidge, originally from Rhode Island, moved to Indiana in 2005 with his wife Lorianne. In order to give back to their community, Wayne and his wife began donating blood at Indiana Blood Centerin 2005. Wayne never would have guessed that one day he personally would be dependent on this life-saving donation from others.

On February 28, 2011, Wayne and his wife Lorianne received some life-changing news: Wayne had been diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s.

A month later, Wayne started his chemotherapy, during which he received platelets and blood from volunteer Hoosiers.

Eventually, doctors came to the realization that Wayne would need a stem cell transplant. Stem cell transplants differ from blood transfusions in that they don’t require both parties to have the same blood type. Rather, stem cell matches are DNA-based, and in Wayne’s case, his younger sister Bonnie from Rhode Island was actually a perfect match.

Wayne had the stem cell transplant on September 14, 2011, and six months later, on March 15,2012, a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy showed Wayne to be cancer free!

As a result of this experience, both Wayne and Lorianne have become even more appreciate of the countless donors that take one hour out of their day to make sure blood and platelets are available to local hospital patients. Because of Wayne’s past illness, he is ineligible to donate blood. However, Lorianne kindly donates in Wayne’s honor.

Wayne has become a huge advocate not only of Indiana Blood Center, but also of Be The Match. Wayne encourages all to not only give blood, but to also join the Be The Match registry. We’d like to thank Wayne for his continued dedication to our lifesaving cause. While Wayne may no longer be able to donate, there are still plenty of Hoosiers who can Raise Tour Sleeves. Make your appointment today at DonorPoint.org.